No longer in a foul mood

Nash's improved free throw shooting lifts Irish past Liberty.

November 15, 2010|TOM NOIE Tribune Staff Writer

Notre Dame's Tyrone Nash looks to get around Liberty's Antwan Burrus in second half action at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center Sunday.

SOUTH BEND -- Home in New York for a short stretch last summer, Notre Dame senior captain Ty Nash insisted he wanted only to lie on the couch and give the remote control a workout. His father, Sidney, often would have none of it. Any time the father spied the son sprawled in front of the tube, often with Sports- Center on, he offered a strong suggestion -- grab a basketball, get in the gym and get up 50, 100 free throws. Sound advice from Pops, for sure. Nash, whose foul-line form and results were nearly unwatchable early in his career, when Irish coaches basically had to deconstruct his entire routine and start from scratch, wore a steady path to the foul line in Sunday's game against Liberty. Nash attempted 15 free throws and made 12, both career highs (he was 3-for-11 for 27.3 percent as a freshman) for 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds as Notre Dame (2-0) was able to grind out a 72-51 victory at Purcell Pavilion. "I knew to help my teammates out this year that I had to knock it down from the free throw line," said Nash, a career 57.1 percent free throw shooter who has since closed the gap on post-practice contests with teammate Joey Brooks. "They're going to put me there and I'm just trying to convert. "Usually, I'd have made 5-of-15, but the hard work paid off, and I'm glad." Each time Nash was sent Sunday to the line, he heard the words of assistant coach Anthony Solomon rolling around his conscious -- stay on your toes, release the ball a little higher and stay true to his routine. For a good stretch in a first half that saw the Irish labor 8:20 without a field goal, getting Nash to draw a foul on the Flames and get to the line was the only scoring option, just as it long had been with former All-American Luke Harangody. Able to operate more this season in the role of point-forward, where he can work on his guard skills in the open floor, Nash remains the most consistent scoring option when the offense stagnates and someone needs to get a low-post touch. Involving Nash early and often in possessions allowed the Irish to again jump early in the bonus (10:32 after the tip). "That's big for him," said coach Mike Brey. "I'm just so pleased how he shot free throws, how he rebounded the ball and his defensive positioning. "He stepped up and made free throws like a veteran guy." Notre Dame finished 16-of-25 (64 percent). Liberty, which did not attempt a free throw the first 20 minutes, was 4-of-7. "It's part of going on the road and our guys, including myself, need to handle it the right way," said Liberty coach Dale Layer, who earned a technical foul late in the first half after likely voicing his displeasure over the foul disparity. "It put us in a hole when they're making free throws and we're not able to get stops. "They made us pay." As easy as Friday's season opener was on the eyes -- Notre Dame scored 62 first-half points in beating Georgia Southern by 37 -- this one wasn't. The Irish had to slog through many possessions against a zone defense, then had to dig in and defend for extended stretches. Notre Dame scored 44 points the first 12 minutes Friday, but managed only 21 the first 12 on Sunday. With 14 minutes remaining in regulation, the Irish had only 14 baskets. If the season opener was one big party, Sunday's game was the morning after, when everyone in an Irish uniform moved at a slow and sluggish pace. Defensive stops often were hard to come by, as were points on the other end. Nothing really flowed on a hangover-type afternoon. "We weren't hitting on all cylinders," said Irish guard Ben Hansbrough, who led all scorers with 19 points and played much of the second half with a busted-up inside lower lip that could have required stitches to close. "We found a way." Still struggling to find his shooting legs, Tim Abromaitis had 13 points. Freshman Eric Atkins continued to impress during his weekend debut with 10 points and four assists (both career highs) in 22 minutes. "They're probably more of a team without 'Gody," said Layer, whose Flames lost by 19 points at Purcell Pavilion last season. "No disrespect to the team they had last year. There were times last year when he got the ball and everybody else watched. You don't get that sense now. "They have a chance to be an extremely good team." NOTRE DAME 72, LIBERTY 51At South BendLIBERTY (51): Ogukwe 1-2 0-2 2, Gordon 3-16 2-3 9, Minaya 5-10 2-2 12, Brown 5-11 0-0 10, Je. Sanders 2-5 0-0 4, Phillips 2-3 0-0 5, Spencer 0-0 0-0 0, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Vander Pol 0-1 0-0 0, Burrus 0-3 0-0 0, Jo. Sanders 3-5 0-0 9, McMasters 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 4-7 51. NOTRE DAME (72): Nash 2-4 12-15 16, Abromaitis 4-12 3-4 13, Scott 2-6 0-2 4, Martin 2-9 1-4 6, Hansbrough 7-13 0-0 19, Atkins 4-7 0-0 10, Kopko 0-0 0-0 0, Dragicevich 0-0 0-0 0, Grant 0-0 0-0 0, Knight 0-1 0-0 0, Brooks 2-2 0-0 4, Broghammer 0-1 0-0 0, Cooley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 16-25 72. Halftime -- Notre Dame 41-22. 3-Point Goals -- Liberty 5-17 (Jo. Sanders 3-4, Phillips 1-1, Gordon 1-9, Minaya 0-1, Je. Sanders 0-2), Notre Dame 10-28 (Hansbrough 5-8, Atkins 2-3, Abromaitis 2-9, Martin 1-5, Scott 0-3). Fouled Out -- Burrus. Rebounds -- Liberty 36 (Brown 12), Notre Dame 42 (Nash 9). Assists -- Liberty 14 (Je. Sanders 5), Notre Dame 16 (Atkins, Hansbrough 4). Total Fouls -- Liberty 26, Notre Dame 11. Technical -- Liberty Bench. A -- 6,478.